[Effect of the gas phase of cigarette smoke on the rate of sister chromatid exchanges in human lymphocytes in vitro].

A technique of differential staining of chromatids after BudR treatment enabled us to study the influence of the gas phase of cigarette smoke on human lymphocytes. We ascertained that the number of exchanges increased in proportion to the concentration of gas phase extant in the medium. Moreover, the base-line exchange rate was a little higher in smokers than in nonsmokers.